Have your Cake and Eat it too

Currently, Juliet was undercover. Dressed in a flowy, muted top and red pants, it was attire far from what she typically ware. Though the manner of dress was intended to help her blend in (and also to not be mistaken for a member of Dies Irae, which had been happening quite frequently lately, actually) Juliet found herself distinctly uncomfortable. Still, it was what she would endure for the sake of accomplishing what she had set out to do. Juliet was... not on a job, strictly speaking, but more of a personal mission. As a general rule, one of her principles was to check out every single sweets shop in Fiore whenever she saw one. Even though the mage refused to allow herself the pastime of looking up bakeries and patisseries online, knowing it would only drive her insane not to be able to visit them all, she allowed herself a dalliance with establishments whose advertisements she had seen in person. After catching sight of a beautiful photo of a cake shop on a post nearby her apartment back on the mainland, Juliet had immediately been determined to make an appearance there. Amber Island was also rumored to be a beautiful place, so it would be lovely to just take a day off there when she was unable to find work.

Now standing in front of the shop, she stared at the gleaming white double doors. The place was larger than she had expected; from the pictures, Juliet had assumed it was a small, one room type of business on the side of the street, but perhaps the owner simply liked to have outdoor space as well. As she made her way carefully past the tables, admiring the beautiful tablecloths and shining utensils laid out waiting for someone to sit down, the girl thought she heard someone inside. Although her face stayed fairly neutral, Juliet tried to add a warmth to her eyes. This wasn't a time to try and be intimidating, if she wanted to possibly eat any cake from this shop today. After another moment's thought, she went ahead and pasted on a half smile, bolstering it with genuine happiness at the thought of eating desserts. Now with that patented expression of interest, she pushed open the doors and walked slowly underneath the sign that claimed this to be the "Home of the Natcakes." It wasn't a long shot for Juliet to theorize that the owner was either named Nat, or they possibly had a relative, close friend, or someone similar with that moniker.

Juliet found herself in a lovely room, the walls made of shiny wood and hung with lovely paintings and pictures of cafe related scenes. She briefly recalled that a banner had also hovered over her head as she had entered. Though the girl had just seen the advertisement, she had assumed it was an older shop that had just recently begun to do more widespread, public marketing, rather than appealing solely to local customers. Apparently, she was wrong- it was their first opening. With another flutter of excitement in her heart (and her stomach, which was full of anticipation but empty of actual sustenance) Juliet stepped up to the front, where there was a glass display filled with beautiful cakes. She put her nose against the window unabashedly, trying to read the price of the cakes when it occurred to her that she could simply get it off of the menu. Nodding to herself, the girl took a few steps back and began to look around for any sign that had prices, when she saw a chalkboard, information scrawled in an elegant script.

Wait... now that she had thought about it, Juliet wondered why there wasn't anyone inside here. She blinked before turning away, realizing with a flush that now as she reviewed her memories, she had walked past someone in the process of entering! Blushing furiously, Juliet power walked out of the door and immediately bowed to the person as soon as she stood in front of them. "I apologize for my rudeness! I was simply excited to see your shop!" She stared at the ground, still in a ninety degree bow, her mind flowing with thoughts of not being allowed to buy any cake thanks to her error.

Juliet was relieved that this man did not seem to take offense at her rudeness. Giving him a rare smile, she allowed herself to be ushered by the stranger into the cafe, murmuring a thank you as she passed. Once again, upon entry, the girl was stunned by how beautiful the establishment was. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stratford!" Juliet echoed as he introduced himself. He seemed to be more than welcoming, even pulling out a chair for her to sit. The mage did so, resisting the giggle that threatened to spill out of her throat. This man was very kind, but perhaps a little bit too much so.

Ah, what to order... Juliet couldn't say that she had a favorite flavor. The cheesecake and red velvet had looked particularly great, but the blonde also had a voracious appetite for anything strawberry. Tapping a finger against the side of her face as she thought, the mage eventually said, "Perhaps... could I have a slice of strawberry and red velvet?" Since the cafe did apparently sell whole cakes, and for 500 jewel- Juliet could spend her whole week's food budget on the desserts and refrigerate or freeze them. First, though, it would be delightful to try some here at the little shop itself. Pleased with her decision, she nodded a tad bit more confidently. "So what inspired you to start the Natcakes, Mr. Stratford?" Juliet would attempt to make pleasant conversation, her mood drastically uplifted by the presence and promise of sweets.

Personally, the girl had always wanted to start a bake shop of her own. Though she was not any good at creating the wonderful treats, herself, she loved the idea of someday sponsoring aspiring pastry gods. Back when she had lived a life of luxury, Juliet had been blessed with a personal chef who was happy to bake her sweets whenever her cravings hit. Now, as a mage who did work herself, she hoped to one day amass enough resources to add everyday happiness to others' lives. Including through lovely cake.

He seemed more than amiable to the conversation, chatting back to her as he began to slice up the cakes. Juliet found herself continuously distracted by their delicious sight. If only she could buy up every cake in the world, that would be a dream come true. Even though her mind was hyper focused on the baked delights, she also paid close attention to what this kind man was saying. Baking since he was ten years old... what had the female mage been doing when she was ten? The girl winced. Nothing good, she supposed, or else she would remember better. Or perhaps it was the other way around; if it was terrible it would have stuck in her memory. Nodding along as he was speaking, her face suddenly darkened as he explained about the attacks from dark mages which had plagued his home town. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that..." Juliet said softly, before going on to say, as though it made anything better, "I'm glad your cakes helped them, though. That's wonderful." She wasn't the best with words, but even if she did struggle to properly formulate her thoughts, the girl couldn't just say nothing.

Apparently, Mr. Stratford had been driven to succeed by an idol figure. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and Juliet smiled at the thought. Meanwhile, her eyes flicked over to the treats he was working on. The female had a tough time concealing her restlessness when faced with the prospect of cake just a few meters away. Now, the bakery owner was saying something more, about being a mage. "I'm grateful you've opened this shop," Juliet confessed, a smile curving her lips. There wasn't anything she loved more in the world (when it came to material things, of course) than food, especially sweets. Still, it was intriguing to hear that the other was also a mage. Today, the girl was technically supposed to be under cover, but the efficacy of her disguise was up for debate. It was more of just day to day clothes than anything meant to fool people. Mostly, Juliet simply hadn't wanted to be judged for looking like some kind of soldier. "I'm a mage as well," she finally said, before going on to ask, "What kind of magic do you wield?" It was half a polite question, of getting to know more about someone, but also, the inquiry came from a place of curiosity, herself. The young woman wondered what type of magical force such an individual would wield. It could still be quite a personal question, though, and she would understand if the other did not want to answer or feel comfortable doing so.

But those questions were to wait, because he was bringing over her cake now! The strawberry and red velvet were both utterly beautiful. Irresistible, in fact. From what she could tell, they would be delicious. Juliet unconsciously licked her lips, unable to prevent herself from thinking about trying them right this instant. However, she managed to utilize patience and waited for him to explain about the third plate. It was for him, most likely... only, Juliet stood corrected when the kind owner of the store told her it was extra, for being the first customer! "That's incredibly kind of you!" She said, eyes growing slightly bigger as she took in the sight. Strawberry Red Velvet, huh? That sounded absolutely amazing. "I will do so!" The mage replied determinedly to his exclamation to enjoy. She picked up a fork and dug in. Immediately, flavors flooded her mouth. Which cake had she sampled... ah, the red velvet. Utterly divine. Unable to resist humming in pleasure, the mage smiled down at her food before going to town. While she did so, she would keep an ear open in case Mr. Stratford wanted to continue their conversation. But she was mostly off in cake wonder land now.